The results of Lakewood’s special election drew criticism from Gov. Jared Polis and may put the suburban city out of compliance with one of Colorado’s pro-growth laws.
Voters on Tuesday night overwhelmingly chose to repeal the city’s new zoning laws, which had included pro-density policies meant to comply with new state requirements.
“This vote increases the need for the legislature to step up and take bold actions to deliver lower housing costs,” wrote Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Polis, in a statement.
Councilmember Roger Low said that by going back to the old zoning rules, Lakewood will fall out of compliance with HB24-1304.
The recent state law forbids cities from requiring developers to build parking spaces in projects near transit corridors. Lakewood’s new zoning rules followed the state law, reducing the city’s parking construction requirements — but voters reversed that and other changes.
“We heard repeatedly existing parking minimums make it harder for affordable housing developers along Lakewood's transit corridors to build affordable housing and set aside green space,” Low wrote in an email. “As a council, we will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out our next steps.”
The state “parking minimums” law took effect last summer, one of several pro-growth requirements passed under Polis. Cities in violation could collectively lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars of state funding — something the Polis administration has already threatened for other cities.
A half-dozen cities have sued, saying the state is illegally meddling in local affairs. But Lakewood’s elected leaders have largely followed the governor’s lead.
In 2025, the Lakewood City Council approved sweeping new zoning changes — made up of 400 pages and split into four votes — designed to allow more housing construction, including duplexes and triplexes, across the city. The changes would have eliminated the existence of single-family zoning in the suburb west of Denver.
The city’s new pro-density policies were meant to take effect this year, but voters firmly rejected them Tuesday, with many fearing it would bring traffic or change their neighborhoods. Supporters said that allowing duplexes and triplexes would make the city more affordable.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the measures to repeal the pro-density ordinances each had more than 19,000 yes votes. The no votes, to keep the rules, numbered only about 9,000 each.
Karen Gordey, who led the repeal campaign, said the results speak for themselves.
“Lakewood voters sent a clear message,” she said in a text message. “The people want a voice in decisions that impact their neighborhoods.”
Mayor Wendi Strom said in a statement that the outcome "was hard to receive because we know the code included solutions that could ease some affordability pressures," but stressed that the city council was still committed to finding solutions.
"It’s too early to know what course we may chart from here, but setbacks are an opportunity to revisit, refine and re-direct. I look forward to sitting down with my colleagues on Council, city staff and our community stakeholders to start to decide how best to move forward," she said.
What happens next?
The suburban city will now return to its previous zoning codes, which limit residential development to single-family homes and accessory dwelling units throughout much of the city. (Some other uses, including group homes, have also been allowed in the city's residential districts.)
U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who represents Lakewood and supported the pro-density ordinances, said she is not sure what happens next, but added that something needs to change.
“I don't know what next steps they're looking at, but we can't continue to do things the way that we always have. It's not working,” she said. “We need to have pro-housing regulations and policies that bring down the costs for everybody and promote different types of homes in Lakewood and everywhere else.”
Councilmember Low said the election saw low turnout, something he wasn’t pleased with. The city’s last mayoral election drew about 45,000 votes. So far, fewer than 30,000 ballots have been counted in the special election.
“It is frankly sad to me that this issue was decided in such a low-turnout election, with literally just one in five registered voters in Lakewood casting a ballot,” Low wrote in an email.
“That said, elections have consequences. The residents who voted sent a clear message last night. I will respect the will of our residents who voted,” he continued. “The zoning code we passed last year is now dead, and we need to have many more conversations with our community about the path forward.”
Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Karen Gordey's name, add comment from Mayor Wendi Strom and clarify what uses are allowed in Lakewood's residential zones.
Caitlyn Kim contributed to this article.
